Grande Auckland: a new Ammonia Ready car carrier for the Grimaldi Group

This modern 9,241 CEU vessel is set to enhance services between Asia and Europe with high capacity and reduced emissions.

Naples, 10 September 2025: Yesterday morning in Shanghai, the Grimaldi Group took delivery of the Grande Auckland, the second of seven PCTC (Pure Car & Truck Carrier) units commissioned by the Group from Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding Company Limited (SWS) and China Shipbuilding Trading Company Limited (CSTC) – two companies part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation Limited (CSSC).

With a length of 200 meters, a beam of 38 meters, and a gross tonnage of around 77,500 tons, the Grande Auckland has been designed for the transport of vehicles — cars, SUVs, vans, both electric and powered by traditional fuels — as well as other types of rolling cargo. The vessel offers a loading capacity of 9,241 CEU (Car Equivalent Unit) and is equipped with four decks suitable for the transport of large rolling units, including heavy loads of up to 250 tons and a maximum height of 6.5 meters.

Her innovative MAN B&W 7S60 ME-C10.6-HPSCR TIER II–TIER III electronic engine ensures one of the lowest specific fuel consumption rates in her class and complies with the most stringent environmental regulations regarding CO₂, NOx, and SOx emissions.

In particular, thanks to her optimized dimensions that maximize loading capacity, a proven ship design, cutting-edge technologies and next-generation systems, the Grande Auckland significantly reduces the CO₂ emission index per transported cargo — by up to 50% compared to previous-generation PCTC vessels.

Furthermore, the vessel has been awarded the Ammonia Ready class notation by RINA (Italian Naval Register), certifying that she can be converted in the future to use ammonia as a zero-carbon alternative fuel. She is also designed for cold ironing, meaning she can be powered by shore-side electricity while docked in port — a green alternative to using traditional marine fuels, where such infrastructure is available.

The name of this new ship is a tribute to the city of Auckland, New Zealand, which since 2023 has been regularly served, on a monthly basis, by Grimaldi vessels arriving from Europe.

The Grande Auckland will make her maiden voyage on the Asia–Europe service, where she will remain deployed throughout 2025. The vessel will depart from Shanghai and Lianyungang carrying 4,900 vehicles and 3,300 linear meters of rolling cargo (buses, trucks, excavators, trailers) and will call at Agadir and Tanger Med (Morocco), Vigo (Spain), Antwerp (Belgium), and Southampton (UK). From Northern Europe, she will head back to Asia, with calls in La Réunion (French overseas department in the Indian Ocean), then Yokohama and Toyohashi (Japan), and finally Masan (South Korea).

The Grimaldi Group still has 14 more Ammonia Ready PCTC vessels on order, to be delivered between 2025 and 2027, which will further strengthen maritime connections with the Asian market.